In Adelaide’s affluent east, Ray White Norwood has quickly established a reputation as a growing agency that people want to sell with and agents want to work for. Talk to owners Sam Brincat and Jason Spagnuolo, and it soon becomes apparent this renown is no accident. It’s equally likely they’ve only just begun to make their mark.
Early next year business partners Sam Brincat and Jason Spagnuolo will take a significant step.
They will shift their growing agency from Ray White’s South Australian corporate headquarters to the former Real Estate Institute of South Australia building in the heart of Dulwich.
For the three-year-old agency, it is a symbol of coming of age.
Since they first opened their doors in early 2017, Ray White Norwood has grown from six staff to 38.
Along the way they’ve nurtured multiple agents to Elite status, have attracted some of the state’s top talent and are currently ranked as the top Ray White office in SA.
According to Sam and Jason, it is a business built on friendship.
It is one where values align, culture is key, and vision along with hard work is a constant.
It is also a journey that has been clearly mapped out, strategically planned, and where the pair has made an ongoing commitment to observe and learn from the best.
GUIDED BY THE BEST
Sam had 11 years experience and Jason eight when the pair decided to spread their wings with their own agency.
The duo had worked together previously and found a common bond in a work ethic that aligned.
“We put our heads down and did the right things,” Sam explains.
“As time passed, we aspired to do more, and in the end, we decided that together we’d go it alone.”
When the opportunity to acquire the Ray White Norwood name arose, the pair seized it.
Sam entered the business first, focusing on property management, and Elite performer Jason followed six months later to start delivering sales.
HUB TO TOP PERFORMER
In the beginning, Jason and Sam had a small team of standout individuals and together they took up residence at Ray White’s corporate office.
“When we started we were a hub,” Sam says.
“Ray White Corporate allowed us to move into their office, which meant the CEO and whole corporate team were next to us, and we had the best resources possible right there.
“That got us off to a really great start.”
The pair visited Ray White’s top-performing offices, they listened and they learned.
When many suggested a mentor, they sought out Mark McLeod, one of the industry’s best.
Mark helped Sam and Jason establish their game style, focusing on culture, strategy and growth.
At the outset, he advised them to put their heads down, list and sell.
“He warned us there would be a lot of dollars going out, so we would need to get a lot of money coming in,” Sam says.
Once the business hit its stride, Mark, Sam and Jason turned their attention to growth.
“Mark knows what growth looks like, so he put things in place to gear us for it,” Jason notes.
STRUCTURE AND PROCESS
With growth as their focus, finding additional staff to support the business became a major priority.
But both Sam and Jason note they were careful about when they brought new people in and the type of staff they hired.
They wanted to give solo agents time to become established, and they wanted to have a structure in place when it came to bringing new staff on board.
“We couldn’t be truly successful unless we had a game style and a model for our agents,” Sam says.
“We had to create something that we could teach and scale. That came after a year.
“Only then could we physically show people a structure and a system, and that made it a lot easier to have people join us.”
MEASURE AND MANAGE
The system Sam and Jason implemented is aimed at nurturing agents to success as quickly as possible.
Staff are selected for their authenticity, their approachability, their hunger and their commitment to doing the right thing.
Then from day one they are given clear advice and guidance on exactly what to do.
“We have all the documents laid out so they know exactly what they should be doing and saying, when and where,” Sam says.
These actions are tracked to identify strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s teaching without ego,” Sam states.
“By tracking, we can see their conversion rates at different types of tasks, and we can identify where people need help.”
Jason explains this also eliminates the isolation that comes with the job.
“Real estate can be lonely, which is why it is so challenging,” he says.
“Everyone wants to write big money, but we show them clearly how that is done as part of a team.”
THE NUMBERS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS
Due to the fact Ray White Norwood has been tracking data from the outset, they can also give agents clear indicators of the exact numbers and actions that lead to success.
Sam explains they have the data from two of their most successful agents, Stefan Siciliano and Nick Borrelli.
Both have gone from industry entrants to Elite performers, with Stefan currently Ray White SA’s top sales professional, also ranking number 10 across the entire international brand for the number of sales.
“We’ve got his first six months in real estate in statistics, so we can show new agents this is how much he door knocked, this is the number of calls he made, this is how you benchmark against him and if you make the same number of calls, this is where you’ll be,” Sam says.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The system has achieved real results for Ray White Norwood.
This year they were named the Ray White SA’s top metro office and top office overall.
In addition, several agents have already achieved Elite status, with many more on track to do so.
Jason notes the success of their agents is a huge source of pride for the entire team, while it also reflects a thriving culture.
Sam explains the passion their team has for their work is evident.
“I turn up to the office at 7am and there are already people there, not because we ask them to but because they genuinely love what they do.”
Now the pair is looking to the future with plans for further growth.
“Our focus is on choosing the right people and making this a generally great place to work,” Sam says.
“But we do have big aspirations, and we definitely want to be in the top 10 in the network if not number one.”
“We’re thrilled with how far we’ve come, but we’re excited for so much more,” Jason adds.
“We want to emulate the best…the likes of Megan Jaffe, Haesley Cush and Matt Lancashire.
“We’ve got ideas, and we have ideologies, but we’re not limited by them. We’re always listening and learning because for us it’s just the start.”
